Thursday, July 12, 2012

2012 Locarno Film Festival - Lineup

Yesterday, the official lineup for the upcoming 65th Locarno International Film Festival was announced. The annual festival, one of the worlds oldest, runs from August 1-8.

Located in the picturesque Swiss city of Locarno, on the northern tip of Lake Maggiore, the festival is known for it's Piazza Grande, a massive open-air theatre with a capacity for 8,000 spectators and a 364 square meter screen.

19 films produced by 21 different countries from around the world, including 13 world premieres will be competing in the Concorso internazionale section for the festival's grand prize Pardo d'oro (Golden Leopard).

Winners will be decided by a jury of international film figures led by this year's Jury President Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul. He is joined by American director and screenwriter Roger Avary, South Korean director Im Sang-soo, French director and actress Noémie Lvovsky, and Swiss writer Hans Ulrich Obrist.

Read on for a preview of the films in competition at the 2012 Locarno Film Festival:

Concorso Internationale

The Last Time I Saw Macao (A última vez que vi Macau)

directed by João Pedro Rodrigues and João Rui Guerra da Mata

Portugal, France

World Premiere. A cross between documentary and fiction set on the former Portuguese colony island featuring the two filmmakers themselves. Rodrigues describes it as “A sort of off-the-record fiction, but which has rhythm and a story – in fact, several stories that flow into each other.”

Berberian Sound Studio

directed by Peter Strickland

UK, Germany, Australia

The international premiere of UK director Peter Strickland's second feature, his first film Katalin Varga won a Silver Bear at the 2009 Berlinale. This one is a giallo inspired thriller starring Toby Jones as a timid sound engineer working on a horror film in 1970s Italy. I can't wait!

The international premiere of the latest feature from Craig Zobel, co-founder of the popular Homestar Runner website. The film is based on a well publicized story about a prank caller who coerces a manager of a fast-food restaurant to inappropriately interrogate an employee behind closed doors.

The world premiere of the latest feature from the directorial team of Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel. Their last film La pivellina was Austria's official selection to the 2011 Oscars. This one follows Philipp, a young successful actor losing touch with the realities of life who finds a new perspective when he strikes up a friendship with the wandering Walter.

The world premiere of the feature documentary from first time directors Simon Baumann and Andreas Pfiffner. Billed as a satirical documentary, which unmasks the lack of solidarity and
increasing xenophobia in present day Switzerland.

The international premiere of American director Bradley Rust Gray's bizarre werewolf lesbian romance drama, starring Juno Temple and Riley Keough as two teenage girls from New York, one of whom has a supernatural secret.

World premiere of the latest from controversial French director Jean-Claude Brisseau (The Exterminating Angels). I couldn't find any info or synopsis for it, but if his previous films are any indicator, then this one will be weird and have lots of sex.

Leviathan

directed by Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Verena Paravel

UK, USA, France

World Premiere. A feature documentary from Véréna Paravel and Lucien Castaing-Taylor, about men at sea and fish on boats. Billed as a collaborative exploration and appreciation of one of mankind’s oldest endeavors. From the trailer this looks to be a fascinating watch.

World Premiere. Mexican director Nicolás Pereda, acclaimed for his hybrid mixture of fiction and documentary, returns with a film about a young man who sells pirate music CDs in the subways of Mexico City.

Mobile Home

directed by François Pirot

Belgium, Luxembourg

World Premiere from first time director François Pirot. Is a comedy about two childhood friends in their thirties who decide to embark on their old teenage dream of hitting the road in a camper and living on seasonal work.

World Premiere feature from American director Jem Cohen, known for his political works that straddle the line between fiction and reality. Is centered around a chance encounter between a museum attendant and a Canadian tourist.

The Landlords (I Padroni di casa)

directed by Edoardo Gabbriellini

Italy

World premiere of the film from Italian director Edoardo Gabbbriellini. Details are muddy, but from what I gather, it follows a pair of brothers who are contractors from Rome who end up in conflict with the landowner of a remote village where their next construction project takes place.

The world premiere for second time Japanese director Shô Miyake. So far unable to dig up any concrete information about this title.

Polvo

directed by Julio Hernández Cordón

Guatemala, Spain, Chile, Germany

The world premiere of Guatemalan director Julio Hernández Cordón's third feature film. A personal story following two filmmakers making a documentary about missing people from the 1982 Guatemalan Civil War.

Somebody Up There Likes Me

directed by Bob Byington

USA

The international premiere of Bob Byington's film that first screened at this year's SXSW Festival. Billed as a comedy about a man watching his life fly by.

The international premiere of the third feature from American director Sean Baker. A provocative tale focused on two women from the San Fernando Valley, starring Besedka Johnson and Dree Hemingway, daughter of Hollywood actress Mariel Hemingway. This one also screened at SXSW.

The End of Time

directed by Peter Mettler

Switzerland, Canada

The world premiere of acclaimed Canadian director and cinematographer Peter Mettler's latest documentary. A fascinating sounding film exploring notions of time and perception, drawing from fields of science, philosophy, religion and subjective experience.

Une Estonienne à Paris

directed by Ilmar Raag

France, Estonia, Belgium

The world premiere of Estonian filmmaker Ilmar Raag's latest feature. It stars 84-year-old French screen legend Jeanne Moreau, looking as radiant as ever, and tells the story of an Estonian woman called to Paris to care for an elderly woman who left Estonia for France many years ago.

When Night Falls (我還有話要說)

directed by Ying Liang

South Korea

The international premiere of Chinese director Ying Liang's controversial South Korean produced film. Based on an incident that happened in Shanghai in 2008, it follows the mother of young man accused of stabbing six policemen to death. Earlier this year, Chinese authorities raided Ying's home in an unsuccessful attempt to stop it from being shown at the Jeonju International Film Festival where it premiered in April.

Yeah I imagine a good portion of these will get released over here, and the Piazza Grande would be a very cool experience. There's always something special about watching a film outdoors, but I cant imagine what it would be like with a crowd that sized.

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